Homeless team scores �10k boost

The players will wear Scotland tops with the logos of the two companies

Two Lanarkshire businesses have pledged �10,000 to ensure Scotland's homeless football team can travel to the World Cup in Australia.

The Scottish team won the tournament last year but feared they might not make there it this time around after a sponsorship deal fell through.

But now online channel, Moviecom.tv, and office supply company Xltec have stepped in to offer financial support.

The team will fly out to Melbourne on Friday for kick-off on 1 December.

The Homeless World Cup is an annual international football tournament which unites 48 teams of people from around the globe who are homeless or excluded from society.

Celtic and Rangers pledged their support for the homeless team by allowing them to use their state-of-the-art training facilities for coaching sessions.

Moviecom.tv, who are based in Cumbernauld, have produced an online TV channel for the tournament and will be broadcasting daily updates from Melbourne.

The sponsorship came just in the nick of time, and we are really grateful

David Duke
Scotland head coach

Managing director of Moviecom.tv, Gillian O'Neil, said: "After meeting Mel Young, the founder of the Homeless World Cup, I felt compelled to support the tournament and the Scotland team.

"My husband and business partner, Kevin, was also keen to help.

"As a former footballer himself, he has a personal interest in the project and felt we should step up our support and pledge the sponsorship money for Scotland as well as produce the channel."

Vincent Moore, managing director of Xltec Solutions, said: "As a former manager of Albion Rovers, like Kevin I have a great interest in football.

"We are proud to be involved."

David Duke, head coach of the Scotland squad, said: "When I approached Moviecom.tv and Xltec for support, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they agreed to help.

"The sponsorship came just in the nick of time, and we are really grateful."